[mark blabaum]

I finally got around to finishing a fly rod for my son. It's a St Croix Avid 4wt, the grip is stabilized spalted maple with an elliptical made with an insert from a knife supplier in Texas. The reel seat is a pen blank from woodcraft.

 

[Putter Parpart]

That is beautiful, Mark. I love your ellipticals - they're amazing. Your son is gonna love this one and as soon as he gets his driver's license it'll be off to the pond to use it, too!

 

[Steve Gardner]

I swear Mark;

Every time I look at yours and Ray Cover's work. I feel like a dam rookie. You guys do some really impressive work.



Do you need another son? Dad!

 

[mlv]

Mark.....

That is awesome !!...:cheers:



ML...:texasflag

 

[spitfire]

That is beautiful!!!!

 

[Cudkilla]

That looks too nice to fish with! Great job!

 

[Goags]

Mark, I can only echo what has already been said! Awesome, beautiful, too nice to fish, and you're giving me a real inferiority complex! Keep on posting your work tho, as I like seeing it!
Jerry

 

[Raymond Adams]

Thanks for the eye candy Mark.

 

[mark blabaum]

Thanks for the kind words, I was originally going to build him a grip out of a different material, but he thought that it be "ok" to use this grip on his rod.

Putter, I have a feeling that my troubles are only going to get worse before they get better. I have a couple of grips to make for Byron, then I can start on your's. I really like the looks of the ellipticals myself, once you're set up to do them they go fairly easily.

"Do you need another son? Dad!" Steve I'm considering it - if mine gets his drivers license and is any thing like I was at that age, I think you'll be a lot easier to deal with {lol).

 

[Steve Gardner]

I can support myself

 

[pg542]

Wow, Mark. That's beautiful. What did you use for the endcaps and did I see this in Park Falls? It sure looks familiar for some reason......Who sells pen blanks(wood,stabilized, or acrylic) that are a little larger than the standard(7/8?) I'd like to find something 1-1/4x 6 or larger. Someday I'd like to do a reelseat insert on a larger blank and 7/8 would'nt be large enough. Again, very nice work sir,,,,,Jim

 

[mark blabaum]

Jim, that was the one that I brought to the St. Croix tour. The reel seat size on most fly rods can use the 7/8" blanks for an insert. There is another source for larger pen blanks at http://www.woodpenpro.com/acrylic_pen_blanks/index.html I haven't purchased any thing from them, but I have heard good things about them. The stabilized wood came from Reelseatblanks.com and it was some really nice wood, it seemed expensive at the time, but compaired to quality cork it was fairly in expensive.

 

[sandyd]

How nice is that, is he really going to take it fishing?

 

[mark blabaum]

Sandy, he's already got plans for using the rod, now I just have to make the time to go.

 

[OwenD]

That thing's flasher than a rat with a gold tooth!
I can imagine the handover.

"Dad.... you can let go of the rod now. Daaaaddd!"